3.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes New Jersey, Tremors Felt Throughout East Coast

New Jersey was rattled early Wednesday morning by a small earthquake.

According to the United States Geological Survey, a 3.1 magnitude earthquake struck the state just after 2 a.m. The epicenter was a little more than a mile southeast of East Freehold.

The National Weather Service's Mount Holly office said in a tweet that the earthquake "was felt in much of central New Jersey.”

Tremors from the earthquake were felt outside of the Garden State in New York City, Staten Island, and Philadelphia, the USGS said on its Earthquake Hazards Program website.

As of 6 a.m. ET, at least 6,081 people have responded to the USGS's "Did You Feel It?" map. The majority of responders, located in New Jersey, said they felt weak or light shaking and reported no damage.

Robert Sanders, a USGS geophysicist, told NBC News that an earthquake in the central New Jersey region is "relatively uncommon."

"It will take a few days or weeks before analysts can see if there’s a specific fault line at cause here," Sanders said, adding that structural damage is possible but highly unlikely.

New Jersey was infamously struck by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake on Aug. 23, 2011. While the earthquake's epicenter was in Western Virginia, its tremors were significantly felt in central New Jersey, NJ.com previously reported.

At the time, it was recorded as one of the largest earthquakes to ever strike the eastern area of the U.S.

Source: Read Full Article